Portable writing-desk



H. o. WHITE.

PORTABLE WRITING DESK. 180.248.827. Patented 081;. z5, 1881.

m m N.. o .E Z w M 8., 8 om Niran STATES HAWLEY O. YVHITE, OF NORTHBENNINGTON, VERMONT.

PORTABLE WRITING-DESK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 248,627, dated October25, 1881.

Application led January (i, 1879.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, HAWLEY C. WHITE, of North Bennington, in the countyof Bennington and State of Vermont, have invented certain Improvementsin Portable /Vriting-Desks g and I do hereby declare that the followingis a clear and concise description ot' the same, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, which form a eonstituentpart ofthisspeciiication.

This invention relates more especially to the mode of covering andhinging the leaves or lids of portable folding writing-desks andanalogous articles.

Figure l presents a view of a folding desk laid open ready for use withone lid or leaf partially raised or opened, and having the centralportion of the hinged parts cut away in crosssection, so as to exposetoview the construction of the hinged joints. Fig. 2 is a verticaltransverse section through the lids of the desk. The heavy black linesshown in cross-section are the edges of the cloth or material with whichthe surface of the leaves is covered, and which constitute one portionof the hinge. Fig. 3 shows a vertical transverse section of the wholedesk, taken on line 3 4 of Fig. 1.

As i'oldin g writing-desks have heretofore been constructed the cloth orother material with which the tops oi' the leaves have been covered hassolely been relied on to form the hinge by which such leaves or lidshave been attached to the body portion or case of the desk in caseswhere butts have not been employed. This style of construction isobjectionable because after a little usage the cloth adjacent to thejoint where the leaf ishinged to the body will loosen or detach itselffrom the leaf and strip up, and is frequently liable to be torn oftentirely. My improvements guard against these imperfections.

I construct my desk in two sections, A and B, Figs. l and 3, so as topresent an inclined surface to write upon when opened for use. Eachsection is inclosed by a leaf, the upper surface of which constitutesthe writing-table of the desk. The contour of the leaves D and E isnicely itted to the interior of the case, as seen in Fig. l, and theleaves rest in jambs or rabbets formed in the edges of the case toreceive them, or, as in this case, they rest on small posts or studs k klr, so disposed as to support them. The inner or hinge edge of each leafis kerl'ed or grooved, either diagonally or otherwise, as seen at a,Figs. 1, Z, and 3. For a distance equivalent tothe breadth of the clothbetween the butts with which the two sections ofthe desk are hingedtogether, and as near the joint-edge of the lid as is practicable, Ikerf or groove the edge of each section of the desk, as seen at b b,Figs. l, 2, and 3. The upper or exposed edges ot' grooves a and b aredesigned to be as close to each other as may be, so as not to impair thestrength of the structure. These kerfs or grooves are of a widthsuflicient to receive two thicknesses of the cloth designed to be forcedinto them, as hereinafter stated.

My improvements are carried out substantially as follows: The kerfs orgrooves b b in the adjacent edges of sections A and B are cut ashereinbefore stated. In the construction of the hinge proper I employ astrip of any thin,

flexible, non-elastic material, like strong, thin linen duck or canvas,of the same length as the distance between the butts of the desk. Thishinge-strip is then sized with glue on one side and laid over theparallel grooves of the leaves of the desk, into which it is to beforced. With a thin blade I then force the margin of the hinge-strip Itinto the kerf a of one of the leaves. Keeping the hinge-strip tautmeanwhile, I next proceed in a similar manner to crowd the hinge-stripinto the next parallel slit or kerf, b, which is in the body of thedesk, and I thus proceed consecutively to force the strip into eachkert' provided to receive it until I have bridged all the hinge-jointsor connected both leaves to the body ofthe desk, as Well as each sectionwith the other. If there should be a surplus in widthof the hinge-stripleft protruding from the first and last groove or slit, it is carefullytrimmed down, so as to present an even, smooth surface over which to laythe snperposed covering d. This mode of hinging together with a tough,tlexible,non elastic material the leaves and the two sections of thedesk assists Ato greatly strengthen the main connection between the twohalves of the desk, and materially relieves the small metallic buttsfrom the excessive wrenches and strains to which they are oftensubjected by reason IOO of the pressure required to close the desk whenit is overtilled. The edges ofthe strip, being inelosed within thegroove and firmly held therein with glue, cannot be peeled up nor easilystarted from their fastenings, as is the ease when the hinge-piece issimply pasted or glued to the exterior surface of the parts to beconnected. Both the lids and the body portions may he grooved to receivethehinge-pieee, as in Figs. 1 and 3, or either alone, as seen at b c inFig. This mode of stretching the eovering across both lids and theintervening hingejoints continuously possesses several advantages. Theopened desk presents an even, continuously-smooth surface upon which toWrite. The gluing ofthe covering-piece to the hinging-strip of cloth 7Lreent'orces such piece and materially enhances the strength ot' thehinges. It makes two less edges of cloth to peel up and fray than whenthe lids are each finished with a veneered margin against the interioredge of which the raw edges of the cloth abut. It is much more cheaplyand conveniently constructed.

In the foregoing description I have treated the stationary portions C Uof the desk to which the lids D E are attached as analogous to the jambsot' a door.

I claim- A portable Writing-desk having the two halves thereof and thetwo lids united by a compound hinge, made of eloth or analogous llexiblematerial,tueked in grooves in both the two halves ot' the desk and inthe edges of the two lids, substantially' in the manner described andset forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereto subscribed my name, at NorthBennington, Vermont, this 2d day of January, 1879.

IIAWLEY C. WHITE.

In presence of- FRANKLIN. Soo'rr, M. B. Soo'r'r.

